February 2008 Archives

Lorin Dixon's father told the Connecticut Post Friday that she totally misinterpreted comments supposedly made by Rutgers sophomore Epiphanny Prince regarding UConn's state of mind during the second-half collapse that led to their only loss of the season Feb. 5 at Rutgers.

Dixon told reporters Thursday that she'd heard from her father, Kirby, that Prince felt UConn appeared scared and used that information to urge her teammates to press forward during a comeback that wiped out a 33-24 deficit. Prince had 27 of her game-high 33 points in the half.

Apparently, Lorin Dixon didn't hear things correctly.

``I’ve got to talk to my daughter,’’ Kirby Dixon told the Post's Rich Elliott. ``She’s totally confused. I was talking to some of my family members and said, `the team looked a little nervous. They looked scared, this and that. And then … We were at a game. I was talking to Piph and I was like I didn’t like the way Lorin played because she had no points. She had (one) assist. And Piph said, `oh, I think you’re being a little hard on her.’ And that was it. She was basically giving Lorin a compliment. I think (Lorin) must have just got it wrong. Epiphanny Prince never said that, and that’s coming from my mouth. That never came out of her mouth. She would never say that. I’ve known Piph a long time. Piph is a good friend of mine. She just wouldn’t say that. She’s just not that type of person to say something like that. My youngest daughter (Cecilia’s) friends with Piph and she was shocked. She was like, `Epiphanny Prince said that?’ I said, `no she didn’t say that.’ Something got mixed up here."

As if the top-ranked UConn women need more encouragment before Monday night's rematch with Rutgers at the XL Center, a game that will determine the regular-season Big East championship, they may have received it through a third party, the father of freshman guard Lorin Dixon.

Dixon said Thursday that Rutgers sophomore Epiphanny Prince, who scored 33 to help hand UConn its only loss of the season Feb. 5, told her dad the Scarlet Knights players sensed fear in the Huskies players during the second half when they wiped out a 33-24 lead to win 73-71 and urged them to apply as much pressure as possible.

Dixon and Prince were high school rivals in New York City, Dixon at Christ the King and Prince at Murry Bergtraum in Brooklyn. Dixon's sister, Cecilia, plays for Bergtraum which is responsible for the relationship that exists between the families.

Dixon was not happy to hear what Prince had to say.

"She was talking to my dad and told him that they saw fear in our faces," Dixon said Thursday. "I told him that was just a one-time thing, it wasn't going to happen again. They just got us good one time. it made me angry that she would say that. We weren't scared. If that's how we looked, if that's what she needed to say to pump her team up, that's fine, but that's just going to make us want to play harder to show it [being scared] wasn't the case."

By the way, there are approximately 1,000 tickets still remaining for the game and the best way to get them is by logging into www.uconnhuskies.com and following the prompts.

Also, look for Dixon to start Saturday at DePaul as Geno Auriemma wants to make sure Ketia Swanier can qualify for the Big East's "Sixth Man" award. Swanier has made three conference starts and if she starts both remaining games - DePaul and Rutgers - she will not be eligible to win an award Auriemma believes she deserves.

Kaili McLaren will also likely start at forward for Brittany Hunter, who has not been able to practice since Monday.

Hello my blogomites. For no extra charge this afternoon, here are answers to two pressing questions many of you may have about Geno Auriemma.

Neither of which has to do with Charde Houston or Pat Summitt.

The UConn coach was on the WBCA.com's "Shootaround" pod cast today with hosts Beth Mowins and Debbie Antonelli and was asked how he might feel if the NCAA decided to send the Huskies out west again, like last year when they were shipped to Fresno, Calif., and why he doesn't wear a tie anymore on the sidelines.

UConn football coach Randy Edsall has been named to the Board of Trustees of the American Football Coaches Association.

The board, founded in 1922 by Amos Alonzo Stagg and John Heisman, is charged with formulating policy and providing direction for a group that boasts more than 10,000 members from all levels of coaching.

“It is both a privilege and an honor to serve the great game of football and the Big East Conference on the AFCA Board of Trustees,” Edsall said in a release. “I really respect what the game of football stands for and I look forward to working with [executive directory] Grant Teaff and our Trustees to make our great game of football even better.”

Hi y'all from Blogford, where it takes more than one night's sleep to lose the southern accent picked up during two days in the warmth of Louisiana sun and hospitality.

Let's just say the trip to Baton Rouge was far more enjoyable than the drive to Seton Hall.

And for you young men out there in cyberspace - and thank you for pulling yourself away from YouTube for a moment to check in - let me just say that the LSU dance team may be enough of a reason for you to consider a degree in sports journalism with a major in women's college basketball.

Just imagine, I thought football players went to LSU just to be a part of a national championship program. Little did I know.

UConn football coach Randy Edsall has agreed to terms on a new 5-year contract with the University the school announced Tuesday.

The new contract will run through Dec. 31, 2012 and is effective retroactively to Jan. 1, 2008. (Contract details)

Edsall will have an annual average salary of $1,500,000 during the five year span of the contract.

“The University of Connecticut is very pleased to announce this new contract,” UConn athletic director Jeff Hathaway said in a release from the school. “Coach Edsall has done a tremendous job of elevating our football program as a member of a Bowl Championship Series conference. Randy took our program to a new level in 2007 as he led the Huskies to our first BIG EAST Conference championship and second bowl game.

The University of Connecticut on Tuesday released details of football coach Randy Edsall's new contract with the school.

Below are the details of the new aggreement.

University of Connecticut Contract Summary

Randy Edsall — Football Head Coach

CONTRACT PERIOD: Contract is effective January 1, 2008 and runs through December 31, 2012. This new agreement supercedes the previous contract that was in place.

SALARY: $275,000 (effective January 1, 2008 for the 2007-2008 academic year) with all fringe benefits available to members of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP). The base salary will be annualized for the remainder of the 2007-2008 academic year. The base salary will increase by $25,000 on an annual basis during the term of the contract and will be annualized from the period of July 1, 2012 through December 31, 2012.

Maya Moore continues to shatter just about every rookie record the Big East has. She has been selected as the conference's Freshman of the Week for the ninth time, breaking her own record (eight) set last week.

Moore averaged 24.5 points and 10.0 rebounds in UConn’s wins over Marquette (95-63) on Feb. 20 and St. John’s (98-41) on Feb. 23. She shot 62.1 percent (18-of-29) from the field, made 7-of-11 attempts from 3-point range and was 6-of-6 from the foul line. Moore tied a season-high with 31 points on 11-of-15 shooting, while adding nine rebounds against Marquette . She did not miss a field goal until the 17:30 mark of the second half and opened the game a perfect 10-of-10. Moore then registered 18 points and 11 rebounds versus St. John’s for her seventh double-double of the season. Moore has extended her UConn record of consecutive double-figure scoring games to start a career to 27.

Good afternoon from Blogton Rouge, where it is 75 and sunny - and I don't mean age and disposition. That is as good enough reason to be here as any other I can think of.

Sorry I haven't written lately. I've been suffering from blogger's block, which is a terrible affliction that often strikes sportwriters in February after all of their adjectives have been used up. I have a new supply on order for the Big East Tournament.

I compare my condition to what the Big East women's coaches have suffered from this season by not being able to vote for a SINGLE UCONN PLAYER for Big East Player of the Week. Nice job by that distinguished fraternity. Maya Moore, Renee Montgomery, Tina Charles? They play for the nation's top-ranked team. . .perhaps you have heard of them?

I was listening to West Virginia coach Mike Carey the other day on the Big East conference call. I like Mike Carey a lot and not because his accent is totally cool. While most of the coaches simply would not answer the question of who should be Big East Player of the Year - and you know who you are out there - Carey offered a simple explanation as to why static often scrambles the brain waves of as many coaches and its does writers who vote UConn lower than fifth in the AP Top 25 poll.

Carey basically said some coaches simply feel sorry for the players on the other teams. They know in their hearts that the best players in the conference, with five or six exceptions, are at UConn and Rutgers and its hard for them to just stiff-arm everyone else - even though it seems to make the most sense. Thank you, Mike Carey, for your honesty.

So coaches, we will be watching your vote for Big East first-team and Player of the Year very closely here. There are only five serious POY candidates: Angel McCoughtry, Maya Moore, Renee Montgomery, Epiphanny Prince and Matee Ajavon. Vote with your mind, not with your heart.

As for other random thoughts:

Does Candace Parker look like Beyonce or is just my imagination?

Does Maya Moore look like a first-team All-American or am I just wasting my time?

Just a hunch, but look for Geno Auriemma to start Lorin Dixon at point guard in the final two Big East conference games just to make sure Ketia Swanier qualifies for the Sixth Man Award. League rules say a player can not start more than four conference games to be eligible and Swanier has started three. Of course, Dixon may not stay on the floor long enough to raise a sweat. But a start is a start, by anyone's definition.

Did you hear that the parents of Mel Thomas drove though the snowstorm on Friday to get to Senior Day on Saturday at Storrs after their flight from Cincinnati to Hartford was cancelled. And I couldn't bring myself to go out for milk!

I heard Geno say Saturday that he doesn't want to place too much emphasis on Monday's night game at LSU because of how little it really means in the long run. Good point by the Hall of Famer. But I'm thinking his players feel differently. They want to see how much better they are after five games exorcising the demons that bothered them at Rutgers. I'm thinking beating LSU convincingly is VERY important to their morale and the momentum they hope to carry into the tournament.

Does anyone in the nation have a prettier jump shot than Kaili McLaren? It floats high somewhere over the rainbow and drops softly down.

Glad to see Geno wearing a tie again on Saturday. Added some class to the joint.

If you've lost count, that's 26-1 without Tiffany Hayes, Elena Delle Donne, Caroline Doty or Heather Buck. Who would you guard?

I'm thinking UConn would be much better off beating Rutgers on March 3.

UConn slippped slightly in the latest RPI, from 10th to 12th. Though the Huskies keep winning, their strength of schedule the last two games -- and the rest of the way -- is not what it was for most of their 10-game winning streak. The full RPI list.

Curious where UConn could open the NCAA Tournament? The first round sites are Anaheim, Denver, Omaha, Washington D.C., Birmingham, Little Rock, Raleigh, Tampa. The NCAA makes an effort to regionalize the top four seeds, so if the Huskies continue at the pace they're at (probably a 3 or 4 seed right now) the nation's capital is the likely destination.

The UConn women are again the nation's top-ranked team. After one week as No. 2, the Huskies regained the spot they'd held for the previous seven weeks thanks to Tennessee's loss to LSU.

UConn was a clear choice as No. 1, receiving 38 of the 50 first-place votes. Tennessee fell to No. 3 following its home loss to the Tigers, who the Huskies play Monday night in Baton Rouge, La.

The Huskies romped over Georgetown and then-No. 18 Pittsburgh by an average margin of 29 points last week, with games this week against Marquette and St. John's.

North Carolina, with two first places votes, moved up to No. 2 after beating Virginia and Florida State.

Maryland and Rutgers remained fourth and fifth. Voters had mixed feelings on Rutgers after its last-second, controversial loss at Tennessee.

The Scarlet Knights received eight first-place votes—the most they've ever received—while other voters ranked them as low as eighth. The first-place votes were the first for Rutgers since Jan. 10, 2005.

UConn-South Florida today. The Huskies are looking for their ninth victory in a row. South Florida is coming off a home victory over Syracuse that snapped a 10-game losing streak.

"They certainly will be excited," Calhoun said. "I think the first 10 minutes of the game for us may be very important because we have not had good opening periods of basketball. We can't let them feed off the success they just had."

It's expected that UConn recruit Elena Delle Donne will be named the 2008 State Farm/Women's Basketball Coaches Association High School Player of the year today.

She will join last year's winner, Maya Moore of Collins Hill (Suwanee, Ga.) and 2006 winner Tina Charles of Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.) at UConn next season.

" I can not wait to watch Elena at UConn with Maya," Ursuline coach Fran Burbridge said. "For the first time, she's not going to be double- and triple-teamed every time she touches the basketball. She sees the floor so well. She's really going to help those girls."

The St. Pete Times wraps up South Florida's victory over Syracuse on Tuesday. UConn plays the bulls Saturday at the Sun Dome in Tampa. Last time I made this trip, in 2005-06, I walked into the media center a few hours before the game with a heck of a sunburn.

Good afternoon. In three days it will be Blogentine's Day and I hope you don't forget me. Godiva chocolates would be nice. I don't have any eligibility left, so you don't need to worry about a recruiting violation. I have already committed - or so should that be, I have already been committed.

Well, I simply had to share this with all of you to brighten your day now that the Huskies are no longer the No. 1 team in the nation. I am so tired of making up stuff about Tennessee and Charde Houston that I thought I'd make a big deal out of this since its Monday and Georgetown isn't doing it for me.

UConn's first loss of the season last Tuesday at Rutgers had its predictable impact: The Huskies are no longer the No. 1 team in the Associated Press' Top 25 poll.

After seven weeks on top, the Huskies have been surpassed by Tennessee, the defending national champion. The Lady Vols (21-1) received 45 of the 50 first-place votes to regain the spot they lost in week No. 7 after their only loss to Stanford.

Of course, that all could change again after tonight if Rutgers can defeat Tennessee in Knoxville on ESPN2 at 7 p.m.

The Huskies received the other five first-place votes and are ranked No. 2. Filling out the top 5 are North Carolina, Maryland and Rutgers.

The reason I looked ridiculous Wednesday at the Syracuse hotel in the hours before heading to the Carrier Dome: Actually, Phil Chardis of the J-I can best explain. He saw me sipping coffee near the front desk around noon.

It's been a wild few weeks on the UConn beat. Suspensions. Travel. Upset victories. National rankings. A team suddenly cruising toward March. It's been exciting. It's been a grind. It's been unlike any other two-week stretch in my three years covering the team.

Good morning from Blog Francisco, where I didn't leave my heart, but I'd appreciate it if someone could help me find the phone that's apparently lost under one of the thousands of cushions here in my suburban palace along Connecticut's gold coast.

Well, it's been two days since Rutgers knocked the UConn women from the unbeaten ranks and civilization as we know it still remains in tact. If you ask me, it was no big deal; a two-point loss on the road, the result of 18 points allowed off turnovers, getting only nine free throws (to 22) and being victimized by one of the greatest individual performances - Epiphanny Prince's 33 points - against a UConn team in almost a decade.

On the Big East women's basketball conference call this morning, Geno Auriemma was asked for his prediction about Monday night's game between Rutgers and Tennessee in Knoxville on ESPN2, a rematch of last year's national championship game.

"I don't know, 65 to something, either way. That's generally the way it is, unless, of course, Epiphanny Price gets 35, then it will be 70 to something," Geno said. "When Rutgers plays it's a possession by possession game, defensive-oriented game. I think Tennessee will play the same way and I don't think it will look much different than last year's title game did. I don't think anyone is going to score in the 90s. I'm sure it will go down to wire.

On Wednesday Northwest Catholic’s Kevin Eagan told the Courant that despite the arrival of college football's signing day, he wasn’t prepared yet to make a decision.

Eagan said he is still deciding between offers from UConn and Rutgers, though it’s unclear now if the offer is still on the table at this point from Huskies’ coach Randy Edsall.

“I’m just not ready,” Eagan said. “With two great schools, it’s just tough figuring out which one is the best for me. They’re both good opportunities for me. Football is important. But also academically, I’m trying to figure out where I would be most comfortable. Hopefully it won’t take too much longer. I just want to get this over with.”

It's national signing day and across the nation high school football players are declaring officially where they intend to play their college ball, but Northwest Catholic-West Hartford lineman Kevin Eagan isn't one those seniors ready to sign on the dotted line just yet.

Northwest Catholic coach Mike Tyler said Eagan will not be part of the school's signing day ceremony this afternoon.

Eagan, a 6-foot-4, 235-pound defensive end, is deciding between UConn and Rutgers.

"He's just unsure and he's trying to make up his mind," Tyler said. "Because he's not 100 percent one way or the other he's going to wait. It could be tomorrow, it could be the next day, I just don't know."

In my effort to make sure UConn fans understand how hard the women's basketball program has to compete for high school players they actually want, here's an update about next year's priority recruit, center Kelsey Bone of Sugar Land, Texas.

Kelsey and her mother, Kim Williams, were in Austin, Texas on Sunday watching the Lady Longhorns play Oklahoma, meaning they were able to get a glimpse of two of the programs on their "uppity-up" list in one day.

Good morning from Blogology office of the Courant. My answering service informs me that many of you have been trying to reach me. Sorry I am late getting back to you, but I was driving home late last night from this game I went to in New Jersey and it was foggy and I couldn't find any place to get some coffee and I've been coughing....

Good evening from Blogscataway where most of the people at the RAC tonight are wearing red. I don't like red, but it has nothing to do with Rutgers, which I have no particular problem with.

I haven't liked red since my third-grade teacher made me play Santa Claus because I was the fattest kid in the class. I still have a few rounded edges - not as many as Burl Ives, thank you - so I'd rather not accentuate that part of my otherwise appealing package.

The window of opportunity for Nate Miles to enroll at UConn for the coming semester has come to a close, but that does not mean the recruiting process between the Huskies and the well-traveled guard/forward has ended.

The NCAA clearinghouse, needing further clarification on certain aspects of Miles’ transcript, has yet to clear Miles, a 6-7 guard originally from Toledo, Oh.

“He’s very disappointed,” said Miles’ legal guardian, Sean Patterson. “That’s what he was striving for, to be at UConn. It’s tough to tell a kid, ‘Hey, you can’t do it, but you’ve done everything that’s asked of you the last year.’ Unfortunately, in the last year, there have been life lessons he’s had to deal with. What happened [a] couple of years ago have affected him now. Hopefully, ‘You learn from this.’ He’s corrected things. But now that he’s corrected, he’s so anxious to get to UConn. It’s tough because UConn could really use Nate as a basketball player, but Nate could really use UConn as a school. It’s a good marriage.”

Just so you know, I can carry on a relationship with two women - that would be women's basketball teams - at the same time. So here's some news from the Connecticut Sun that will interest those of you who have children, granchildren, nieces or nephews or neighbors in high school.

So, that should account for about 80 percent of you out there in Blogonation.

was selected as the Big East’s freshman of the week for the seventh time, tying Rebecca Lobo for the most in conference history. Moore, who has scored double digits in each of her 21 games, has won the award four straight times.

The 21-game streak is the longest at UConn since Diana Taurasi ran off 31 spanning portions of 2003 and 2004.

Moore

already ranks 12th among UConn all-time freshman scoring leaders (356) and has been named to both the Naismith and Wooden Awards watch lists.

“Maya’s a great competitor, highly skilled in a great program,” Rutgers coach Vivian Stringer said. “A player like her comes around once every 10 years. She does it all. She probably also appreciates every second she’s on the floor.”

Senior forward Brittany Hunter is not in the starting lineup again. She came out for warmups without her brace and likely will not play.

This will be the fifth game Hunter has missed because of her balky right knee, which seems to be giving her a lot of trouble lately. Kaili McLaren is making her first start of the season.

And to the person who chastized Geno Auriemma in a recent email about not wearing a tie to games, he doesn't have one on again. What, a pocket silk isn't good enough for you? Don't expect him to knot a tie until UConn loses.

Just a few little things that have come across my desk in the last few minutes:

Those interested in watching Tuesday's game at Rutgers, who do not have access to CSTV or are not willing to pay your cable provider for it, can take change out of your piggy bank and bring it to the Mohegan Sun where the game will be televised at Geno Auriemma's Fast Break restaurant.

There will be no charge to watch the game. What you decide to spend on food and drinks is up to you.

Registration for Geno's 2008 summer basketball camp is now available by logging into www.GenoAuriemmaCamp.com strangely enough.

Finally, if you'd like your blood pressure taken before what promises to be a very tense, very tight game against Providence on Saturday, report to the Athletic Director's lobby at Gampel Pavilion prior to the game tonight.

Many of you have been asking how to get tickets to next Saturday's girls high school basketball game involving UConn recruit Elena Delle Donne's Ursuline Academy vs. Manchester High.

Well, your wish is my command...

Tickets for the game, at 7:30 pm on Feb. 9th at the University of Hartford, are now on sale. Tickets can be purchased online at www.scholasticpbpnetwork.com and picked up at the "will call" window at the game. Tickets can also be purchased at the main office at Manchester High from 8am to 3pm Monday through Friday. Tickets will also be available at the door on game night.

While I naturally appreciate the time you all take to read these blogatations, I don't want to hog all of your time when it comes to the written word. For instance, UConn needs your help with the following:

Good morning from Bloger Bowl media headquarters where the international press corps - UConn women's basketball branch - is preparing for this weekend's big game - the Huskies against Providence Saturday night at Gampel Pavilion.

There will be a pregame show, UConn's lay-up drill. There will be a halftime show, some kid from Groton taking shots from beyond the arc. There will be a postgame show, Geno's press conference.